Japan! (Dad's Visit: Part One)

Yes. It has been well over a month since my dad and I went on vacation to Japan. What has taken me so long to post about it? Well, packing up my life of 2 1/2 years, saying goodbye to Korea, saying hello to America, applying for jobs, going on trips... time has been slipping through my fingers! So, here will be my first of many new posts! 

- Day One: Dad arrives in Korea -

Visit #2... somebody really likes Korea!

Kakao Friends ice cream cakes from Baskin Robbins. Adorable!

Thank you Incheon Airport for always providing legit entertainment.

Crane dance... rather unfortunate for whoever had to wear those costumes. 

- Day Two: We ate Bibimbap? -

I'm thinking dad was pretty tired this day. So, we took it easy and rested for the weekend. 

One of my favorite little joints in Korea! Cheap and delicious. 

Bibimbop for two and mandu!

- Day Three: We head to the COEX! -

Kakao Store... it was like Toy"R"Us just for meeeee!

Sassy Neo. 

Love struck Frodo.

Tube is pissed! Perfect for dad :)

My personal favorite: Apeach!

Bongeunsa Temple was right next to the COEX.

They were getting ready for Buddha's Birthday by hanging lanterns. 

The city surrounding the temple. 

We got hungry for some delicious sweet and sour chicken...

...and fried rice with black bean sauce!

- Day Four: Church and Lunch with Justin -

How do I have no pictures from this day? 

- Day Five: Leave for Japan! -

Incheon had the lovely Lee Min Ho hanging out. 

Dad snagged this pic. I think it's amazing. Aerial view of Seoul. Perfect. 

Literally twelve hours of travel later... we were in Japan!

Nervous about ... well, everything. :)

Express train from Narita to Tokyo.

After being completely overwhelmed by the metro and getting on the wrong train (just once!) ... we made it! Our hotel had an awesome view of the port. 

Our room for the trip. 

I ran over to the grocery store next door and bought all of this for less than six dollars!

Yeah, its like a moon-pie, but green tea flavored!

It was actually pretty tasty! 

The hotel provided a clean set of pajamas every night! I took advantage of it... Dad did not ;)

- Day Six: Imperial Palace and Akihabara -

The next morning, we had a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji from our room! A great way to wake up. 

We went to Excelsis Cafe for breakfast. The huge sugary coffee I had was one of the best drinks ever. 

Dad had a cheese, shrimp, and broccoli sandwich. I had egg, bacon, and lettuce. Super yummy. 

Dad's yogurt and salad.

It was strange having the subway zoom right past you with no doors as a barrier. 

Tokyo Station. 

Entering the Imperial Palace.

This was about as close as you could get... :/

Nijubashi Bridge

Sakuradamon Gate

Ministry of Justice Building

There were a couple of senior citizens drawing the building above. Such talent!

I liked the design. 

Cherry blossoms coming out! 

And other gorgeous flowers. 

Sky Tree from our walk around the palace. 

Taking video from the bridge. 

Interesting sculpture outside the art museum. 

Akihabara! What a sight... also known as the technology district. 

Sailor Moon!

Power Rangers!

Experiencing 3D goggles. Pretty awesome. 

Machine after machine after machine. 

The obsession is real.

Dad tried... didn't work out so well. 

We went into a seven story Sega gaming building. 

Floor after floor of games!

Tons of stores selling anime items. 

By the end of the day, we had seen enough. 

We were also starving, so we had our one McDonalds visit for a snack.  

Tired, cold, and still hungry! Just waiting on that metro!

We opted for some Japanese food that night. Cold Kirin beer was a great start. 

I had eel for a little appetizer. It was AMAZING. I want it again and again and again. 

Dad had noodles in curry with shrimp. 

I had ... well, basically just noodles with some goodies decorated on top. 

Souvenir Kit Kat bars! Dark chocolate, green tea, peach pie, and cheese cake. I also bought chili spice, red bean, and apple flavored near the end of the trip!

These looked freaky, but they were fantastic potato chips! Octopus flavored. So yummy. 

- Day Seven: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Harajuku, Meiji Jingu Shrine, and Shibuya Crossing -

This morning we had Italian Tomato Cafe Jr. Fancy, yummy coffee yet again!

Dad had the spaghetti. 

I opted for more of a breakfast item, so it was the berry pancakes for me!

We went up into both towers of the Metropolitan Government Building. It was free and a great view!

Sky tree in sight. 

The park where the Meiji Shrine is located was huge!

Fuji in the hazy distance. 

Mode Educational Institution Cocoon Tower... my favorite building. 

Metropolitan Government Building

Harajuku area led to Takeshita Street... lots of fun and funky things to see. 

It was also insanely packed. 

Look at these little angels!

Meiji Shrine entrance. 

Gifts of sake. 

Gifts of wine. 

Daddy, so cute!

Shrine.

Cleansing of hands and mouth before entering. 

Dad giving it a try. 

We witnessed a wedding! So cute in the kimonos!

Wooden plaques to write your wishes on. 

Man and his plaque. 

Hope he liked his pictures!

Then, we went into the Inner Garden. You had to pay to get in, but it was worth leaving all the crowds.

Kakuun-tei, or tea house, was built for Empress Shoken in 1900. It was burnt down by the war, but then rebuilt in 1958. 

Otsuri-dai, or fishing spot, was also built for the Empress who frequently enjoyed fishing. 

Our last stop was Shibuya Crossing. I was not prepared for this madness! 

I was nervous to go into this Starbucks because it was so busy, but a nice man gave us his table so we enjoyed our coffees with an unforgettable view. 

Dad spotted this balloon gem. 

Dinner: noodles (delightful), fried chicken, and two types of mandu. 

Our adorable server... Dad was the weirdo who took the picture.  :D

The Starbucks at night. 

Hot dog. Shibuya all lit up, such a sight!

- Day Eight: Mt. Fuji! -

We took an easy little two hour bus ride from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji. 

We both had nice naps... his before mine. 

Whoa! I woke up and BAM... there was the beauty!

Lake Kawaguchiko! One of the five lakes surrounding Fuji. 

We decided to take a boat ride around the lake. It was a great way to view the mountain. 

The interior cabin. 

So beautiful!

Perfect.

Weeeee!

I really like this one. 

We took a trip up the cable car to get an even better view. 

View of the lake from Mt. Tenjo. 

Town and Fuji! Wow...

We rang the bell for good luck and happiness. 

Dad bought two of these clay disks. 

He kept one as a souvenier. 

The other he tried to toss through the hole for good luck.

Look at that smile! Of course... he made it. 

Fuji dumplings! 

They were massive and super glutenous. 

We went on a hike to the summit of Mt. Tenjo. 

We made it! 

After coming back down, Dad touched the hare's leg for speed. 

And the turtle's head for wisdom?

Even though it was chilly, I had to get one of the Fuji Pops!

Cute and yummy!

Quite possibly one of my favorite pictures of Dad, ever!

Back down in the cable car. 

We were hungry, so we found one of the only places open and serving. At least they had the best view in town!

Just like Grandma's house. 

Pork cutlet and curry. It was actually phenomenal. 

Dad had the shrimp pilaf. Delicious as well! 

View of the outside. 

We had to wait an obscenely long time for the metro, so I treated myself to the prettiest can of beer I could find and bop with crab meat. Yum, yum, yum!

Day Nine: Odaiba and back home to Korea!

Port outside the district of Odaiba. 

Toyota exhibit. 

I choose this one... gorgeous! 

Yay! Free racing games!

Dad and I did awful. :)

Onto the 12th largest ferris wheel in the world! 

We were so excited! 

Some people refer to this building as the "Tinker Tot" building. 

We chose the clear car. I recommend it. 

Giant Sky Wheel fun!

I love this shot. 

I HAD to try this Kit Kat sandwich. It was pretty interesting. Hidden inside was some orange jelly... could have done without that.

Dad and his bowling pin. 

We had lunch in a lovely mall. 

Chicken cutlet with egg and rice, salad, cold miso and noodles, and tsukune. The wasabi and spicy mustard definitely caught me off guard. 

Yes! I know it's not an autobot, but close enough!

Rainbow Bridge. 

The Statue of Liberty also made an appearance. 

Walking back to the metro. 

Saying goodbye to our rather pleasant hotel. We really enjoyed staying at Sunroute Shinagawa Seaside Hotel!

I was eyeing this alllll week. Melon Fanta ice cream float. It was unreal! I devoured it. 

After enjoying such a pleasant day... and ice cream float, we ran into loads of problems trying to get to the airport. The JR Line (the most used line in the city) had a massive delay because of something on the track. We decided to wait it out for a while, but realized it was taking too long. We tried going on the opposite track, but then realized that would take us even longer! We got off and waited in line for a taxi (what we should have done in the first place) and booked it to where our airport express line was. We got on the train, but then had to wait forever in the check-in/baggage line. We zipped through security and raced down to our gate with a few minutes to spare. I have never cut it so close before! 

Check out this VERY Japanese meal on the plane. It was scrumptious though! 

It was a long, hard day... s,o Dad and I might have treated ourselves... it was in international flight! (Even though the flight was only like two hours long.) But it was freeeee!

Overall, I hope my dad liked this trip. I just had a blast reliving it through the pictures. Tokyo was an amazing city and it's citizens were so kind and helpful. It would be such a pleasure to go back again. Oh, and thanks again to Thomas and Josh for helping me plan our adventure!